Traction-wheel for vehicles.



No. 643,630. Patented Feb. 20, |900. J. V. BUSH.

TBACTIUN WHEEL FOR VEHICLES.

(No Model (Application me@ Nov. 4,1899.)

FFTC.

PATENT JOHN V. BUSH, OF COLESBURG, IOWA.

TRACTIONTWHEEL FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lette-rs Patent No. 643,630, datedFebruary 20, 1900. Application led November 4, 1899. Serial No.'735,763- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN V. BUSH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Colesburg, in the county of Delaware and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Traction-Wheel for Vehicles, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of my invention is to prevent the slipping of thetraction-wheels of vehicles when they tread upon the ground as requiredin advancing the vehicle; and my invention consists in a wheel speciallyadapted for automobile carriages, and constructed as hereinafter setforth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a side view of the wheel, showing a partof one of the disks fitted to the hub and to the spokes at some distancefrom the hub broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of thehub, showing how the disks and spokes are jointly xed to the hub in sucha manner that a broken or damaged spoke can be readily removed andreplaced by a new one while all the other spokes and the disks remain inplace. Fig. 3 is a per'- spective view showing the construction of afoot detachably fixed to a spoke and an edge portion of the spoke andfoot broken away to show a calk that is detachably connected with thefoot. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a calk in an inverted positionadapted to be connected with the foot on the end of a spoke for thepurpose of preventing the feet and wheel from slipping when traveling.

The letter A designates a metal hub of common form that has a pluralityof mortises for admitting the ends of spokes.

Spokes B, made of spring-steel of quadrilateral shape in cross-section,as shown in Fig. 3, are fitted in the mortises to extend radially fromthe hub.

Metal rings C and C2 and metal disks D and D2, having central openings,are iitted to the ends of the hub and also to the rings C and C2 tooverlie the rings, so that the disks and rings and spokes can be jointlyclamped t o gether by means of bolts in such a manner that the spokeswill be retained securely in the hub and also in such a manner that thedisks will brace the spokes as required to prevent lateral movementsthereof relative to the hub. The disks also serve as guards to preventmud from adhering to the hub.

On the end of each spoke is a tenon f, that enters the top end of ahollow metal footpiece H, tted and detachably fixed thereto by means ofscrews and the toe portion projecting forward and at right angles to theaxis of the wheel. The rear face and heel portion of the footpiece isflat and extends in the plane of the spoke, and its front face is curvedoutward,and the toe portion is consequently projected forward, and inthe open bottom of the foot is fitted a steel calk J and detachablyfastened therein by means of screws, as shown in Fig. 3.

It is obvious the size of a hub and the Weight and length of the spokesand footpieces may vary as requiredto produce Wheels of various sizesand for different kinds of vehicles adapted for carrying differentobjects and weights. It is also obvious that any one of the plurality ofcalks, footpieces, and spokes that are detachably fastened may bereadily removed whenever impaired and new ones put in their places.

In the practical use of my invention the footpieces carrying the calkswill successively come in contact with the surface over which the wheelsof a vehicle are advanced, and the heel portion of each footpiece willlirst engage the ground and in some degree relax its hold as the toeportion takes hold by means of the sharp edge of the calk, as requiredto prevent any such slipping of the wheel as often occurs when thecontinuous surface of the tire on a wheel contacts with the ground. Mudthat may adhere to the footpieces will be comparatively small in amountto what adheres to the continuous rim of a Wheel when advanced overadhesive ground, and the small quantity liable to adhere to eachfootpiece will readily drop olf immediately after the footpiece risesfrom the level of the ground over which the Wheel is advanced. v

The flexibility of the spokes will allow each one to yield sufficientlyto produce such elasticity in the wheel as will prevent the jarring andconcussion incident to wheels having continuous rims and tires.

Having thus described the construction, function, and purpose of eachpart of the IOC) wheel and the operation thereof, its utility will bereadily understood by persons familiar with the art to which itpertains, and what I therefore claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent therefor, is-

1. In a traction-wheel, a fiexible spoke having a detachable rigidfootpiece and the toe portion projecting forward at right angles to theaxis of the wheel for the purposes stated.

2. In a traction-wheel, a foot-piece on the end of a spoke and the toeportion of the foot projecting in a plane at right angles to the axis ofthe hub of the wheel, and a calk fixed to the bottom of the footpiecefor the purposes stated.

3. In a traction-wheel, a hub having mortises for spokes, fiexiblespokes fitted in the fnortises and rings fixed to the end portions ofthe hub to incline toward each other and also fixed to the spokes atsome distance from the hub, in the manner set forth for the purposesstated.

4. In a traction-Wheel, a hub having Inortises for spokes, flexiblespokes adapted to bend backward and forward in a plane at right anglesto the axis of the hub fitted in the mortises, a ring fixed to thespokes at some distance from the hub and a disk fitted ou the hub andfixed to the ring and spokes for the purposes stated.

5. In a traction-wheel, a hollow footpiece, straight and fiat on itsrear side and inclined forward on its front and a calk detachably fixedin the bottom, in combination with the free end of a spoke, for thepurposes stated.

G. A traction-wheel for vehicles comprising a hub having mortises forspokes, flexible spokes fitted in the mortises and adapted to bend inthe plane of the axis of the hub, rings fixed to the spokes at somedistance from the hub, disks fitted to the end portions of the hub andfixed to the rings and spokes, footpieces fixed to the ends of thespokes and calks fixed in the bottoms of the footpieoes, all arrangedand combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

JOHN V. BUSl-Ii Witnesses:

JOHN A. BUSH, W. E. LOCKRIDGE.

